History events
1267 — (19rd of Av, 5027) Naḥmanides visits Jerusalem
1530 — (19rd of Av, 5290) Jossel von Rosheim obtains from Charles V. an extension of the Alsatian privileges to the whole Holy Roman Empire
1656 — (21rd of Av, 5396) The Jews of Barbados were granted ‘the privileges of laws and statutes of the Commonwealth of England and of this island, relating to foreigners and strangers
1819 — (21rd of Av, 5579) Anti-Semitic riots broke out in Darmstadt and Bayreuth, Germany
1924 — (12rd of Av, 5684) Moshav Magdi’el (now part of Hod Hasharon) was founded. A Moshav is a form of collective settlement. Unlike the Kibbutz, the Moshav allowed for more private ownership. Hod Hashron has grown into a modern city in the Central District of Israel.
1927 (14 Av 5687) — The settlement of Kfar Yehoshua was founded
1939 (27 Av 5699) — The ship Dora landed 480 emigrants from the Netherlands and Scandinavia on the shore near the kibbutz Shfayim. It was one of the few ships that broke through the blockade of the British Navy. Meanwhile, 20 ships carrying thousands of olim (returnees) did not reach the Land of Israel: they were intercepted at sea and either sent back to Europe or their passengers were transferred to camps
1941 — (19th of Av, 5701) Nazis began the systematic murder of the Jews of Dvinsk, Latvia
1941 (19 Av 5701) — The Shoah. In Grosulovo (now Velyka Mykhailivka, Odesa Oblast), 124 Jews were murdered. In Khmelnyk (Vinnytsia Oblast), Task Force 5 executed 229 Jews. Likely on the same day, a unit of Sonderkommando 4a shot 160 Jews in Radomyshl (Zhytomyr Oblast).
1942 (29 Av 5702) — The Shoah. From Bobrka, Shyrets, and Novi Stryli (Lviv Oblast), 1 260, 180, and 1 250 Jews, respectively, were deported to Bełżec — a total of 2 700 Jews; about 200 Jews were killed on the spot in Bobrka. On the same day, 1 650 Jews were murdered in Shumsk (Ternopil Oblast). The commandant of the Ukrainian Police in Lviv issued Order No. 3, announcing a 12‑day “Jewish action” and ordering that “the number of those captured and the number of cartridges used be reported every two hours.”
1946 (15 Av 5706) — The Mandatory Government announced that all illegal immigrants would henceforth be sent to concentration camps in Cyprus “until such time as a decision on their fate could be made”. Two days after this decree was published, hundreds of “illegals” were removed from two steamships and placed on British prison ships. To prevent any attempt at resistance by the residents of Haifa, the city was placed under siege. Despite the ban, many left their homes and headed to the port. Soldiers opened fire; there were Jewish casualties. The Palmach launched sabotage operations against the prison ships
1948 — (7th of Av, 5718) Three Jewish soldiers, Moshe Eliash, Alfred Rabinowitz and Pinah Solevetchik, were killed when Arab Legion shells fell on Mount Zion; Arab Legion forces blew up the Latrun water pumping station” forcing Jewish Jerusalem to rely on private cisterns for its water supply.
1948 (7 Av 5708) — War of Independence. The 32nd Battalion of the Alexandroni Brigade, supported by the 145th Battalion (then part of the Petah Tikva Guard), captured the Migdal Sadik fortress and managed to hold it despite attempts by Iraqi forces to retake it. The following day, Rosh HaAyin was captured. Both strategic positions were held until the truce, despite constant enemy attempts to recapture them. Forty‑one soldiers were killed during these battles, including: Itzhak Berkovich, Eliezer Ashkenazi, Moshe Bashari, Eliyahu Goldweiser, Avshalom Dinovich, Eliyahu Hoisler, Moshe Zonenshein, Yakov‑Kopel Itzikzon, Moshe‑Avraham Rozinai, and Kalman Shmueli (Reich). Their names are inscribed on memorial plaques
1948 (7 Av 5708) — James McDonald, the first U.S. Ambassador to Israel, presented his credentials to Prime Minister David Ben‑Gurion
1950 — (29rd of Av, 5710) Riots broke out at Kikar HaShabbat (Sabbath Square) in Jerusalem when members of the Haredi community clashed with youth from Hashomer Hatzair who were upset by the problems they were having delivering milk from their farms
1952 — (21rd of Av, 5712) A new, blue Israeli passport was shown to the press for the first time
1952 (21 Av 5712) — The leaders of the Jewish Anti‑Fascist Committee were executed by firing squad, pursuant to a court verdict
1953 (1 Elul 5713) — The Knesset passed the State Education Law, according to which educational institutions were divided into state‑run and state‑recognized. Only schools of the ultra‑Orthodox communities remained outside the jurisdiction of the Ministry
1965 — (14rd of Av, 5725) In Tel Aviv, the $150,000 Anna Lazaroff Synagogue of the Lubavitcher Vocational Schools in Kfar Chabad, created with contributions from a number of American Jewish families, was dedicated today
1968 (18 Av 5728) — Two Syrian MiG‑27s intruded into Israeli airspace; Israeli Air Force fighters forced them to land at an airfield in Western Galilee.
1982 (23 Av 5742) — Operation Peace for Galilee. As a result of continuous bombing of West Beirut, Arafat was forced to begin negotiations with Israel. He secured for his people the right to leave Lebanon for Tunisia with their personal weapons, as well as personal safety guarantees.
1984 (14 Av 5744) — The farewell concert of Kaveret, a beloved Israeli band
2001 — (23rd of Av, 5761) Palestinian Islamic Jihad took credit for today’s bombing at the Wall Street Café in Kiryat Motzkin that injured 21 people. (According to other sources one person was killed and fifteen were injured)
2003 (14 Av 5763) — Terrorist attacks. In the Rosh Ha’Ain settlement, a suicide bomber detonated himself in a shopping centre, killing one person and wounding nine others; another attack occurred at a bus stop near Ariel, where two people were killed.
2020 (22 Av 5780) — To counter fire‑based terrorism near the Gaza Strip border, the laser system Lahav Or (“Blade of Light”) was put into operation. On a single day, 19 August, it neutralized 32 bundles of balloons carrying explosives and incendiary bombs
People
1452 — (27rd of Av, 5212) Birthdate of Abraham Zacuto “a Sephardi Jewish astronomer, astrologer, mathematician and historian who served as Royal Astronomer in the 15th century to King John II of Portugal
1889 (15 Av 5649) — Elezer Lipa Sukenik, an Israeli archaeologist, was born. He died on 28 February 1953 in Jerusalem
1900 — (17rd of Av, 5660) William Steinitz, chess-master, died
1944 — (23rd of Av, 5704) Berl Katznelson one the intellectual founders of Labor Zionism, instrumental to the establishment of the modern State of Israel, and the editor of Davar, the first daily newspaper of the workers’ movement, passed away today
1952 — (21st of Av, 5712) In what was part of a wave of post-war anti-Semitism, 24 of the foremost Yiddish writers of Russia were executed by the Soviet Government. Among the victims were Peretz Markish, David Bergelson, Itzik Fefer, Leib Kwitko, David Hofstein,Benjamin Zuskin, Solomon Lozovsky and Boris Shimeliovich
1975 (5 Elul 5735) — Pinhas Sapir, Israel’s Minister of Finance, passed away. At the time, he was the most influential representative of the Avoda party after Golda Meir
1991 — (2nd of Elul, 5751) Yeruham Cohen, an early Israeli undercover soldier, died on today, at the age of 75 years
2003 — (14th of Av, 5763) Eighteen year old Erez Hershkovitz and twenty-two year old Amatzia Nisanevitch were murdered by a Hamas terrorist bomber; Forty-three year old Yehezkel (Hezi) Yekutieli was murder today by terrorist suicide bomber at Rosh HaAyin